i think this is a test for the president and the administration on how they handle it. that john bayne kerr come out of it not a diminished figure. but he's holding all the cards right now, barack obama. >> woodruff: you see the president having as many cards as mark? >> i think the president clearly has the upper hand. i think if we do go off the cliff and recession, i think the fiscal cliff is completely unpredic unpredict-- predictable, especially with a fragile economy, the wall street and the corporate economists are deeply scared about it. that recession really would, you know, wreck his term because we would be obsessed with that for the next couple of years. and so i don't think it's a total walk for him but he clearly has the upper hand. and then there is just the sheer fact of the numbers. say they reach a compromise. i think the republicans are likely to cave on the rate and you close a few deductions. >> do you think they will. >> i do. >> because they are saying they are not going to cave. >> there is going to be no deal on that. they are to the going to go